Yeast Breads: Basic Pretzels

There's nothing simple or basic about a pretzel, except in how they're made. A soft pretzel is easier to make than you think, and they're delicious fresh from the oven. This basic recipe gives you a place to start, but don't be afraid to get creative. And don't skip the baking soda bath. It's what makes a pretzel a pretzel.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
3 tbsp baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
coarse salt (optional)


Preparation


Start by combining yeast and flour in a large bowl. Toss to blend. Add butter, sugar, salt, and water. Mix until a soft dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a soft and elastic dough forms. This will take about 5 minutes. Do not over knead the dough.


Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set aside in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Uncover and punch down dough to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it out into a long rope. 12 inches will give you a pretzels much like the picture. Roll it longer if you want a large and thinner pretzel, shorter if you want something fatter. A fatter pretzel makes a good bun for burgers, by the way.


Form the rope into a pretzel shape and press ends together to seal. Place the pretzels on a prepared baking sheet and cover. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F.


Fill a medium-sized pot with water and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil. One at a time, boil the bagels in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds per side. When flipping the pretzels, be gentle. I use silicone tongs, but  you can use a slotted spoon as well. Just be gentle. Place boiled pretzels back on the baking sheet.


Brush the tops of the pretzels with the beaten egg, then sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt, if desired. bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until pretzels are a deep brown. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.


Pretzels will keep for 5 days if you store them in an airtight container.